The nature of international competition makes it essential to innovate on the assembly line and modernize manufacturing systems to stay in the game. Whether it’s Germany’s Industry 4.0, Made in China 2025, or France’s Creative Industry, the goal is the same—build the factory of the future.

Throughout the world, researchers and manufacturers are already developing and testing tomorrow’s industrial technologies in lab factories. We went in two of them in France, outside of Paris.

The first lab, ICO (Innovation Center for Operations) was launched in October 2017 by the Boston Consulting Group and aims to be a test center for Industry 4.0. The second one, the Factory Lab is ruled by the CEA, France’s Atomic Energy Commission.